- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,154
- 256,525
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
With PJB, articulate is the new loud 
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The Combo Club
- Thread starter ChefKen
- Start date
HELLOOOO IS THERE A HOLIDAY TODAY AND EVERYONE'S AT THE PICNIC BUT ME?
Just bumping us back to page 1 where we should be lolll
Just bumping us back to page 1 where we should be lolll
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,154
- 256,525
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
Extra credit super bonus when I turn up the gain enough
Good afternoon, everyone!
Gif, you're my hero and a gracious ambassador of this club. Never allow this club to be off of Page 1...my thoughts exactly.
Thanks!
That pic is actually GP when he found out they were moving the Peavey factory from Meridian to oversees...
So I'm sitting here at Command Central monitoring the worldwide web of bass combo amps and enjoying a DAY OFF! Woke up at 5:39 to find school was on a late start which turned into a cancellation after it was deemed the roads were too icy to run buses on the gravel roads. Shucks! Being I finished up homework last night during the debate, I have absolutely nothing to do but enjoy the gray, misty skies and 32-degree temps.
Let's play our basses!
PS: Friday is looking even worse, so you can best believe we will be working very hard tomorrow to prepare.
Let's play our basses!
PS: Friday is looking even worse, so you can best believe we will be working very hard tomorrow to prepare.
I shared my story about my used Phil Jones BG-150 in the PJB thread, and I'm sharing it here too, in case it might of use to anyone:
I just received the used Flightcase BG-150, and there are a couple of issues with it.
1) When playing lower sub-bass frequency notes (like a low 808 kick drum kind of low frequencies) I noticed the two drivers on the left side are moving far more than the two drivers on the right side, however, if I were to use my finger to dampen the two drivers on the left, the right two drivers will start to move more significantly. It's less noticeable with higher frequencies, but that unevenness is still there. Is this uneven distribution of driver movement normal?
2) The cloth grill cover for one of the circular ports is no longer attached, but it's inside the port. It doesn't rattle or anything when I play, but I'd like to reattach it. It looks to me like it's just a matter of pushing it back into the inside rim of the port, but it would have to be done from the inside, and I'd have to open up the case to get to it. I'm not sure which side will grant me easiest access without having to take the whole thing apart too much.
-----------------------
I actually called them after I posted here. I didn't get to talk to Phil--it was another gentleman. He said the drivers aren't identical clones of each other, so there are bound to be some variations in their coils and flexibility, and as long as they aren't distorting it should be fine. My concern is that if two drivers are working a lot harder than the other two, would that cause an imbalance of frequency response output at those frequencies, or deficiency of volume at those frequencies, but he didn't seem to think that would be an issue.
As for the port cloth screen/grill, I managed to work it back in by putting the ports face down on a table and having that one port off the edge of the table, then move the loose cloth grill tube around until it matched the lip of the port and it slid in by itself--although to get it to go in all the way I had to use my fingers to press against the inner sides and pull down (the cloth of the screen is very loose probably due to someone/something kicking it in in the past).
I ended up having to do some more minor fixes. All the velcro used on the attaching points on the two grill/screens for the 5" drivers were either mostly or totally missing, as none could even attach anymore at all. I cut up some little velcro pieces I had around and attached them to the contact points and now they're okay. (I have no idea why the velcro contact points would be all gone--how did that even happen? I can't imagine any situation where they'd fall off by themselves, and it's more likely someone ripped them off. But why?)
So for now, it seems everything is working properly. I do have 45 days return period to make sure nothing else is wrong that's a deal breaker, so I'll keep playing around with it to make sure everything's okay.
The gentleman on the phone did mention something that was interesting. If you ever wondered why PJB discontinued the BG-150, this is the gist of what he said:
Phil actually loves the BG-150 and BG-300, as they are his favorites--his babies. However, at close enough price points, the BG-300 made the BG-150 somewhat redundant as many people wanted more power than the BG-150 could deliver, and that's really the only reason it was discontinued. I had previously wondered about it and that was my guess too, so what he said confirmed it.
He also said no PJB products ever had the speakers blown out, or the amp dying, but if the drivers ever needs to be replaced, they're only about $60 each, and for the amp it's probably just the fuse that needs to be replaced.
I also asked him if the 50 Hz frequency response of the BG-150 was at +/- 3 dB, but he didn't have that information on hand.
----------------------------
I just got off the phone with my local Guitar Center's store manager. I described to her all the issues with my BG-150 and the repair work I had to do on it, and she was very cool about it and gave me a $117 discount. Originally with tax and shipping the total was $573, and now it's $456.
-----------------------------
I think the best thing about neutral, accurate, and articulate combos like the PJB products, is that they can correct your misconception about the basses and gear you already have.
For example, I held certain opinions about some of my basses based on how they sounded through the combos I played them through (Hartke HD75, Fender Rumble 25), and some of those opinions were negative, because those combos emphasized or were anemic in certain frequencies in their sonic characteristics. My NS Design Radius WAV's piezo pickup with roundwound sounded very unpleasant (piercing and lots of finger noise) through the Rumble 25 due to Fender voicing that combo with very sharp high-mids, but with the BG-150, it sounded great, with that acoustic vibe that I heard in the YouTube videos that got me interesting in getting one in the first place.
I'm very picky about getting neutral/accurate frequency response in my audio gear, and I once thought that wouldn't be possible with bass combos because there would be compromises in their designs, and I'd have to live with colored sounding bass combos. But now my experience with PJB has changed all that.
I just received the used Flightcase BG-150, and there are a couple of issues with it.
1) When playing lower sub-bass frequency notes (like a low 808 kick drum kind of low frequencies) I noticed the two drivers on the left side are moving far more than the two drivers on the right side, however, if I were to use my finger to dampen the two drivers on the left, the right two drivers will start to move more significantly. It's less noticeable with higher frequencies, but that unevenness is still there. Is this uneven distribution of driver movement normal?
2) The cloth grill cover for one of the circular ports is no longer attached, but it's inside the port. It doesn't rattle or anything when I play, but I'd like to reattach it. It looks to me like it's just a matter of pushing it back into the inside rim of the port, but it would have to be done from the inside, and I'd have to open up the case to get to it. I'm not sure which side will grant me easiest access without having to take the whole thing apart too much.
-----------------------
I actually called them after I posted here. I didn't get to talk to Phil--it was another gentleman. He said the drivers aren't identical clones of each other, so there are bound to be some variations in their coils and flexibility, and as long as they aren't distorting it should be fine. My concern is that if two drivers are working a lot harder than the other two, would that cause an imbalance of frequency response output at those frequencies, or deficiency of volume at those frequencies, but he didn't seem to think that would be an issue.
As for the port cloth screen/grill, I managed to work it back in by putting the ports face down on a table and having that one port off the edge of the table, then move the loose cloth grill tube around until it matched the lip of the port and it slid in by itself--although to get it to go in all the way I had to use my fingers to press against the inner sides and pull down (the cloth of the screen is very loose probably due to someone/something kicking it in in the past).
I ended up having to do some more minor fixes. All the velcro used on the attaching points on the two grill/screens for the 5" drivers were either mostly or totally missing, as none could even attach anymore at all. I cut up some little velcro pieces I had around and attached them to the contact points and now they're okay. (I have no idea why the velcro contact points would be all gone--how did that even happen? I can't imagine any situation where they'd fall off by themselves, and it's more likely someone ripped them off. But why?)
So for now, it seems everything is working properly. I do have 45 days return period to make sure nothing else is wrong that's a deal breaker, so I'll keep playing around with it to make sure everything's okay.
The gentleman on the phone did mention something that was interesting. If you ever wondered why PJB discontinued the BG-150, this is the gist of what he said:
Phil actually loves the BG-150 and BG-300, as they are his favorites--his babies. However, at close enough price points, the BG-300 made the BG-150 somewhat redundant as many people wanted more power than the BG-150 could deliver, and that's really the only reason it was discontinued. I had previously wondered about it and that was my guess too, so what he said confirmed it.
He also said no PJB products ever had the speakers blown out, or the amp dying, but if the drivers ever needs to be replaced, they're only about $60 each, and for the amp it's probably just the fuse that needs to be replaced.
I also asked him if the 50 Hz frequency response of the BG-150 was at +/- 3 dB, but he didn't have that information on hand.
----------------------------
I just got off the phone with my local Guitar Center's store manager. I described to her all the issues with my BG-150 and the repair work I had to do on it, and she was very cool about it and gave me a $117 discount. Originally with tax and shipping the total was $573, and now it's $456.
-----------------------------
I think the best thing about neutral, accurate, and articulate combos like the PJB products, is that they can correct your misconception about the basses and gear you already have.
For example, I held certain opinions about some of my basses based on how they sounded through the combos I played them through (Hartke HD75, Fender Rumble 25), and some of those opinions were negative, because those combos emphasized or were anemic in certain frequencies in their sonic characteristics. My NS Design Radius WAV's piezo pickup with roundwound sounded very unpleasant (piercing and lots of finger noise) through the Rumble 25 due to Fender voicing that combo with very sharp high-mids, but with the BG-150, it sounded great, with that acoustic vibe that I heard in the YouTube videos that got me interesting in getting one in the first place.
I'm very picky about getting neutral/accurate frequency response in my audio gear, and I once thought that wouldn't be possible with bass combos because there would be compromises in their designs, and I'd have to live with colored sounding bass combos. But now my experience with PJB has changed all that.
I believe @iagtrplyr said the same thing about his PJ amp not colouring the sound of his basses..i'm sure he and Morri will comment soon.
Hey Morri..We have articulated pythons here Morri..huge great snakes...no wait..that's reticulated pythons..oh mmm they are highly educated anyway and ssssssssspeak very well lollWith PJB, articulate is the new loud
Also, they taste like chicken! Mmmm
Another very nice report Mike! This does indeed sound like the sort of combo I'm looking for. I also have the Micro 7 on my list, so I'll plan to bring that into the wood shed (OK, upstairs office) with me. My finances are tight this time of year, so I'll probably need to hold off until April, but that gives me time to chart out my test plan and learn how to record some tracks.
Fancy allocating the poor guy a woodshed for an office!
Actually - extra fancy! - I get an office for a woodshed! I know, I'm living the dream!
You're a humourous guy Rod..but I like you (as Dick Emery used to say loll)Actually - extra fancy! - I get an office for a woodshed! I know, I'm living the dream!
Last edited:
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,154
- 256,525
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
"But us regular folks
Who might wear tennis shoes
Or an occasional python boot"
.... the Piranha drivers are flipping amazing to me.
Very nice reporting, Lunatique. You made some great comments in the finer points of PJB. I continue to learn more after playing my BG-75 this afternoon. In my opinion, its greatest strength is the articulation you mentioned and also makes it a great challenge too.
It sounds best in its purest form. I added on my Zoom pedal, cheap but I’m used to it. How did it sound? Cheap. The effects like reverb and chorus added a little air and that was nice, but the models were less satisfying. The PJB sounds best au natural.
I do think its positioning does make a huge difference. I thought I had it close enough to the back wall and the bass is good, but my volume just is still lacking. Right now the master is cranked and gain is at 3:00 to get me in the ballpark to play along with my computer speakers. Again, it sounds great but I’m wondering how much headroom have I left?
That being said, for a pair 4” speakers, it is amazing. It’s definitely not old school vibe though, so vintage tone lovers, take notice.
Thank you very much. I’m gonna do a little redecorating in my music room on Friday (if there’s no school, of course) and see if I can improve the Double 4’s room placement and do some recording.
Then I’m switching it out for my Ampeg BA-108 and do a quick comparison with the same song or two. I wanna try a first impression sound off. I know it’ll go different but I just want to see which I like better upon immediate listening.
If that makes no sense then I’ll blame it on January cabin fever!
I can't place mine against the wall or in the corner (taken up by furniture), but it's sounds good enough to me. Maybe I get a bit less of the low sub-bass but that's not necessarily a bad thing as it has a bit more clarity.
I have mine with the gain at 12, and the master at 2, and I'm getting enough volume to play along to my studio monitors. But I usually don't blast the music anyway--maybe about 75 db ~ 80 dB at most.
As for vintage tones, I think it should be pretty easy to dial in that tone by rolling off the treble and mids and boosting the lows--either on the bass or on the amp. It's a lot harder to attain a neutral/accurate sound from colored-sounding gear than to start with neutral and then add tonal color as you see fit.
Well-put and I agree. Oh, I knew the Zoom was gonna muck up the clarity. It
s just the science teacher in me always experimenting (cue the wasted Acoustic combo). The PJB requests I don't mess around with its tonal pureness or suffer the slings of...meh. I get it, but I still have a trick or two up my sleeve before I completely surrender the fort. Seriously, I do like the way it sounds. It really lets your instrument shine.
Say, if you happen to own a combo amp and are interested in posting a picture of it, I'll be more than happy to award you with an exclusive membership number that I promise you no one else has. Think about it, and even if you don't, you're always welcome around here.
Well-put and I agree. Oh, I knew the Zoom was gonna muck up the clarity. It
s just the science teacher in me always experimenting (cue the wasted Acoustic combo). The PJB requests I don't mess around with its tonal pureness or suffer the slings of...meh. I get it, but I still have a trick or two up my sleeve before I completely surrender the fort. Seriously, I do like the way it sounds. It really lets your instrument shine.
Say, if you happen to own a combo amp and are interested in posting a picture of it, I'll be more than happy to award you with an exclusive membership number that I promise you no one else has. Think about it, and even if you don't, you're always welcome around here.
Hey, I teach too! (Art, photography, music, writing, video game development, animation, video, etc.)
Here's my PJB BG-150. I use the Rane ME30B (seen above the combo) to correct for the room modes at my usual playing spot. On the stand is my NS Design Omni CR5.
